Opening the archives, strengthening the movement
We are pleased to invite you to the launch of Labour’s Memory. This new international initiative opens up the rich archival heritage of the labour movement, funded by Riksbankens Jubileumsfond.
The project brings together trade union reports of activities from the 1880s to the present, digitised from archives in Sweden, Germany, and the Netherlands, and developed in collaboration with researchers at Uppsala University. These annual reports come in many forms: handwritten, typed, printed, and digital. And they all document the everyday life, struggles, and achievements of workers’ organisations at local, regional, national, and international levels.
Through innovative tools such as handwriting recognition and advanced linguistic search, Labour’s Memory enables the exploration of this material in new ways, allowing users to trace words, themes, and debates across time and place. The project is not only a resource for historians, archivists, and trade unionists, but also a model for preserving and making accessible the shared memory of working people worldwide.
Join us in celebrating this release, discovering the platform, and reflecting on the future of labour archives and research on
7 November 2025, 9.00-14.00 at Landsorganisationen, Barnhusgatan 18, 111 23 Stockholm
Please register by 30 October 2025. Use this form >>
If you have any more questions, please feel free to contact silke.neunsinger[at]arbark.se
Program
9.00 Welcome
We are delighted to begin this seminar with words of welcome from Johan Lindholm, chairman of the Landssorganisationen (LO) and Joakim Johansson, Head of Arbetarrörelsens arkiv och bibliotek (ARAB).
Following this, Silke Neunsinger, Coordinator of Research at ARAB, will guide you through the program.
9.15 Unlocking Labour’s Memory
In this 30-minute session, Jonas Söderqvist, Project Leader at ARAB, will demonstrate how the Labour’s Memory platform works and how to search across more than a century of trade union reports. A practical introduction to the tools that make the movement’s history newly accessible.
9.50 Panel I: From Paper to Power
Why Annual Reports Matter for Trade Unions
Annual reports may seem like routine documents, but in reality, they capture the pulse of the labour movement — its priorities, its challenges, and its victories. They show how unions give voice to workers and hold themselves accountable, and how even decades-old reports can still inspire and guide the struggles we face today. This panel brings together trade unionists to share why these reports matter, how they are prepared, and how they remain powerful tools for organising and solidarity.
We are proud to welcome a panel of distinguished trade unionists and representatives from the labour movement, chaired by Ella Niia, Chairwoman of ARAB’s Research Committee, who brings long-standing experience in strengthening the links between trade union practice, archives, and research.
Fredrik Jansson, Press Secretary at the Stockholm County Municipal Workers’ Union, offers insights into communication and the importance of documenting the union’s work for members and the public.
Maria Lefoy, Registrar at the Swedish Transport Workers’ Federation, provides first-hand knowledge of how annual reports are created and preserved within a union organisation.
Stefan Carlén, is Chief Economist at the Swedish Commercial Employees’ Union (Handelsanställdas förbund) and a well-known voice on wage formation, working conditions, and the transformation of the retail sector.
Together, they will discuss how annual reports are prepared, why they are vital to unions, and how even historical reports remain a living resource for today’s trade union work.
10.45 Coffee break
11.05 Panel II: Scholarship in Solidarity
Using digital tools to connect past struggles with future research.
This panel brings together scholars from history, political science, and literature who study trade unions at local, national, and global levels. They will explore how Labour’s Memory can be used in research today — and debate how this new digital infrastructure might reshape the way we study the labour movement in the future.
The panel will be chaired by Inger Jonsson, a member of ARAB’s Research Committee, and former FORTe, who brings extensive experience in connecting infrastructure for research with research initiatives.
The panellists represent a wide range of disciplinary and international perspectives on trade union history:
Jenny Jansson, Department of Government, Uppsala University, specialises in political science approaches to trade unionism, collective action, and the role of unions in shaping democracy.
Johanna Wolf, Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory, Frankfurt am Main, contributes expertise on the legal and institutional dimensions of labour history in comparative perspective.
Magnus Nilsson, School of Arts and Communication, Malmö University, brings a cultural and literary perspective on trade unions.
Larissa Rosa Correa, Department of History, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), offers a global and Latin American perspective on labour history, with particular attention to social movements and transnational connections.
12:00 Lunch
Sandwiches will be provided
12.30 From Preservation to Participation
Lessons from Labour’s Memory
Örjan Simonson, project leader and head of the Popular Movement Archives Uppsala, discusses Labour’s Memory as a model for other archives and collections, highlighting both the opportunities for access and collaboration and the challenges of sustainability, digitisation, and AI.
12.45 Panel III: Archiving Labour’s Memory: From Local Voices to Global Access
From the local archive to the international repository, archivists are at the heart of making Labour’s Memory possible. This panel brings together archivists who will reflect on how the platform can serve as a model for other archival initiatives, and on the growing role of AI in their daily work. They will discuss both the opportunities and challenges of digitisation, including how annual reports can be added to the platform, and how these new tools can support the preservation and accessibility of the labour movement’s history for generations to come.
The panel will be chaired by Anja Kruke, Head of the Archiv der sozialen Demokratie at the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Bonn, and president of the International Association of Labour History Institutes. She brings deep expertise in connecting archival work with international labour history.
Donald Weber, Research Coordinator at Amsab-ISG in Ghent, represents IALHI (International Association of Labour History Institutions) and contributes a European and international perspective on archival cooperation and research.
Karin Åström Iko, Director General of the National Archives of Sweden, brings a national perspective on archival policy and the leading role of national archives in advancing sustainable digitization.
Anna Sténs, Head of the Archive of Popular Movements in Västerbotten, Umeå, brings experience from a regional archive that preserves local voices and grassroots initiatives, including those of trade unions.
Ole Martin Rönning, Head of the Arbeiderbevegelsens arkiv og bibliotek in Oslo, adds a Nordic perspective on the challenges and opportunities of preserving the memory of the labour movement.
Together, the panel will explore how Labour’s Memory can serve as a model for archives at every level — from the local to the international — and how AI and sustainable digitisation are reshaping archival practice, from incorporating annual reports to ensuring long-term access for future generations.